Saturday, February 05, 2022

Scott's Take: Rick Riordan Presents: City Of The Plague God by Sarwat Chadda


Rick Riordan Presents: City Of The Plague God by Sarwat Chadda is the first book in a new series. Sikander “Sik” Aziz works in a deli in New York City with his parents. He is currently mourning the death of his brother, Mo, who died several years ago. Sik pretty much has a normal life until demons attack the deli looking for something that Mo had stolen from them.

 

These demons serve Nergal, a Mesopotamian god responsible for disease and death. He is unleashing a supernatural plague upon the city while searching for a certain item. The goddess of war and love, Ishtar, recruits Sik to fight alongside her daughter in a quest to stop Nergal. Sik is a normal kid who is caught up in the drama of the gods and now is expected to help save humanity.

 

This book deals with a lot of heavy issues such as grief, racism, war, disease and more. Since this is set during a pandemic this read might be triggering for some readers. This read is a lot like the Percy Jackson series with a Mesopotamian spin. Sik is a heroic character that is trying to find his place in the world while taking care of his family. A son of refuges from Iraq, he has a unique perspective in how he sees America and society as a whole.

 

The sequel is titled Rise Of The Chaos God and is currently expected to come out sometime in 2023.


 

My reading copy came from the Lakewood Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2022

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